Spain will go to the World Cup without a single Real Madrid player for the first time in their history as Luis de la Fuente named his 26-man squad for this summer’s tournament.
While Real stars such as Dean Huijsen, Dani Carvajal and Gonzalo García miss out, De la Fuente included Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, who tore his left hamstring on 22 April and missed the rest of his club’s La Liga campaign.
Previous reports said the 18-year-old could miss Spain’s World Cup opener but De la Fuente said he had “no doubt” about the availability of the forwards and others – including Nico Williams and Mikel Merino – who are dealing with fitness concerns.
“We’re very calm,” De la Fuente said. “I think that if there are no setbacks, we can almost have everyone available from the first game. The doctor and fitness coach have been visiting the clubs and talking to them. We’ve been coordinating … I have no doubt they’ll be ready for the first game, and if not, they’ll be ready for the second.“
De la Fuente announced his squad at an event in Madrid on Monday, notably leaving out Huijsen, Carvajal and García. Also absent is the injured Barcelona midfielder Fermín López as well as the Como forward Álvaro Morata, who captained Spain when they won the European championship in 2024.
“It’s difficult,” De la Fuente said of leaving players out. “We think about every possible scenario that can happen in games with our opponents, and their characteristics … We’ve chosen these 26. I think we’ve covered the needs of the team … I don’t look at whether they play for one team or another.”
Spain, who are ranked No 2 in the world behind France, are in Group H with Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay. They open their campaign against Cape Verde on 15 June in Atlanta before playing Saudi Arabia on 21 June, also in Atlanta. They finish their group stage in Mexico, when they face Uruguay on 26 June in Guadalajara.
The 2010 World Cup champions will warm up for the competition with friendlies against Iraq and Peru. They expect to improve on their performance at the 2022 World Cup, when they lost to Morocco in the round of 16.
Spain World Cup squad
Goalkeepers: Unai Simón (Athletic Club), David Raya (Arsenal), Joan García (Barcelona)
Defenders: Marc Cucurella (Chelsea), Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona), Aymeric Laporte (Athletic Club), Álejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen), Pedro Porro (Tottenham), Eric García (Barcelona), Marcos Llorente (Atlético Madrid), Marc Pubill (Atlético Madrid)
Midfielders: Gavi (Barcelona), Rodri (Manchester City), Pedri (Barcelona), Martín Zubimendi (Arsenal), Fabián Ruiz (PSG), Álex Baena (Atlético Madrid), Mikel Merino (Arsenal)
Forwards: Lamine Yamal (Barcelona), Nico Williams (Athletic Club), Dani Olmo (Barcelona), Ferran Torres (Barcelona), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Yéremy Pino (Crystal Palace), Borja Iglesias (Celta Vigo), Víctor Muñoz (Osasuna)
